Urban
Landmarks.
Image wise, the new Zmaboanga City will be seen as
a hierarchy of urban centers namely, the Urban
Core, West Coast Growth Center, Mercedes, Singali,
Curuan and Vitali. The Urban Core will be
dominated by tall structures in the old and new
CBDs together with the waterfront development. The
West Coast Growth Center will have the structures
of the industrial estates. Mercedes will have for
its landmarks the new international airport, the
new government center and the communities around
them. Singali, on the other hand, will be
identified as a thriving cargo and fishing port
and its surroundings. Curuan and Vitali are each
expected to be host agri-industries complemented
by clusters of commercial structures around an
open space or a plaza, in the periphery of which
are housing and processing plants developed along
the principles of planned unit development (PUD).
Please refer to Map 6, General Land use Map.

Urban Nodes.
The above-mentioned growth centers will serve as
the urban nodes for the whole city of Zamboanga.
This is to decentralize expansion and development
thereby preventing the over-concentration of
growth in the City Proper and providing control
for the ribbon development along the national
highway radiating from the City Proper. Within the
City Proper the major nodes would remain in the
plaza of the old CBD, in the old seaport, in the
Sta. Cruz Public market and in the center of the
new CBD at the present site of the airport.

MDP 1997-2012
ALTERNATIVE 1

MDP 1997-2012
ALTERNATIVE 2

URBAN CORE AREA ZOING
MAP

MDP 1997-2012
ALTERNATIVE 3

URBAN CENTERS LOCATION
MAP

Circulation
System.
The Zamboanga City-Pagadian National Road shall be
the main eastern artery while the main western
artery shall be the Zamboanga City-Labuan-Limpapa
Road. To bypass the City Proper, an east-west
diversion road shall be put up from Cawa-Cawa to
Brgy. Putik. Also, a direct southeastern road will
link the City Proper to the new international
airport in Brgy. Mercedes. The Curuan-Sibuco Road
shall also be upgraded to provide direct linkage
to Zamboanga del Norte (Map 24, Volume 3, Major
Road Network Map).

Urban Edges.
Urban sprawl will be contained and controlled by
well-defined urban edges. For the City Proper,
these edges will be: the watershed conservation
areas and rolling terrain in the north, northeast
and northwest; the Basilan Strait in the south and
the Bog lake in the southwest. Seven barangays in
the north and in the east and two in the west have
been identified to form the Urban Core fringes to
serve as urban edges.

Districts.
As mentioned earlier, the whole city of Zamboanga
will be perceived as a cluster of five growth
centers of different characters and in varying
intensities of development. These growth centers
will be surrounded by an area of open spaces
comprising of nature preserves, agricultural
lands, and bodies of water and clusters of
islands. Small rural villages along the coast, or
amidst agricultural lands will also be part of the
development.

Mixed Uses.
In the whole of Zamboanga City, it will be the
policy to encourage a mix of compatible land uses
that will humanize life in the city. This will
make readily accessible to the residents different
places of abode, work, health, education, leisure,
recreation, and entertainment and government
services. Each community will be required to line
their roads and waterways with flowering trees and
shrubs as well as pedestrian paths and bicycle
lanes to ensure that the mix in the land uses will
be harmonious as a result of the continuity that
such a scheme will create.

The Primary urban
Center (PUC) covers a total of 3,1977.77 has with
24 barangays. It is broadly classified into an
Urban Core Area and Urban Core Fringe Area. It
shall include an old and new central business
district (CBD).

The Urban
Core Area.
The Urban Core Area is the “heart:” of the PUC and
is the area that shall be subject to the most
intense urban land use activities. It is further
sub-classified into several land use districts;
Old Central Business District, New Central
Business District, Waterfront Development and
General Development Areas. The more intense land
use types shall be confined to the Urban Core Area
thereby consolidating urban growth within the
regions of the identified barangays. Densities
shall be allowed to go highest in this area,
tapering-off towards the Urban Core Fringe.

The Old CBD.
Portions of the Old CBD will be pedestrianized,
landscaped and provided with people movers (tranvia-looking
buses). Parking buildings in strategic locations
will be constructed in the periphery in the
pedestrianized area. Along Gov. Lim, pedestrian
and vehicular segregation will be provided either
through a vehicular skyway, skywalks or
underpasses (see Map 10, Volume 2,
Pedestrianization and Traffic Management Plan).
Heritage conservation will be undertaken in order
to preserve and retrofit the old structure within
and adjacent to the old CBD as well as the Plaza
Pershing and Pettit Barracks. New constructions in
this area will be required to adopt the style of
Philippine colonial architecture of the late
Spanish and early American Periods.

A New CBD.This will be developed at the
Baliwasan area led by the construction of an
existing airport, which is being transferred to a
new location in Mercedes. The airport area will be
developed following the principles of Planned Unit
Development (PUD) that puts together compatible
uses such as housing, education, health, sports
together with business and commercial
establishments. The Park System for the whole city
will be most pronounced in the New CBD.

The
Waterfront Development Area.
This includes the wetlands beyond Fort Pilar in
the East to Campo Islam in the west. A promenade
will be developed along which will be built
facilities for leisure, recreation, convention,
trade and exhibition. Educational, cultural and
sports facilities will also be major components of
this waterfront development that will resurrect
the tradition of taking “paseo” along the coast
towards more progressive and development ends.
Regattas, water sports, fluvial processions and a
floating market cum village plus farms for
aquaculture will also be important features for
this area.

The General
Development Area (GDA).
It shall be predominantly residential with the
necessary low-density support urban services such
as schools, retail outlets, commercial
establishments, offices, etc. Zones of varying
intensities shall characterize the CDA. The
phasing-out of pollutive industrial establishments
in Campo Islam and their subsequent relocation to
the West Coast Growth Area shall be encouraged and
is an expected long-term development as land
values rise in this area, given the establishment
of New CBD and Waterfront Development projects.

A Park System.
This will likewise resurrect ZAMBOANGA, this time
as a garden city, shall comprise of botanical
gardens, three-lined roads, landscaped waterways,
scenic waterfront developments and
nature-preserves. This system will incorporate
pedestrian paths, bicycle lanes as well as kiosks
for refreshment, souvenirs, tourist information
and public toilets. The planting design will
ensure that Zamboanga would be in full bloom the
whole year with different species alternating in
their turn for giving a “show”.

The Paths Of
Movement.
There will be a construction of an east-west
diversion road, which will serve as an alternative
highway north of the City Proper from Cawa-Cawa to
Brgy. Putik. Four other major east-west vehicular
arteries of which the existing ones will be
widened while additional ones will be constructed
will complement this. The east-west vehicular
arteries will be criss-crossed in a grid-iron
pattern by major north-south oriented roads. On
the other hand, this grid-iron pattern will be
diagonally bisected by a vehicular artey that
starts from Cawa-Cawa Boulevard near Baliwasan in
the southwest proceeding diagonally to Brgy. Putik
in the northeast.

The Urban
Core Fringe.
The Urban Core Fringe is defined by the outer ring
of eight (8) outlying barangays, namely, Calarian,
San Roque, Sta. Maria, Tumaga, Putik, Divisoria,
Guiwan, Rio Hondo and Mariki. These areas are
environmentally sensitive (steep slopes, good
agricultural and mangroves and swamps) and are
being threatened to be overrun by urban expansion.
Strict environmental control measures shall be
instituted in these areas in order to properly
protect the critical environment. Essentially,
what will be allowed in these areas will be
low-density residential, planned, unit development
(PUDs), light-intensity commercial, low intensity
tourism, schools, churches, etc.

The Secondary Urban
Center is classified into the West Coast
Industrial Area, the Mercedes International
Airport Area and the Sangali Port Area on the East
Coast. The West Coast Industrial Area (Map
28, Volume 3) has four core barangays (Talisayan-Ayala-Recodo-Cawit
Cluster) with land coverage of approximately 4,582
has. And shall be the Industrial and agri-industrial
center of the city. Developments herein shall
fully conform to internationally accepted
environmental standards especially with regards to
industrial waste-generation, waste handling, waste
disposal and other pollution-related concerns.

Secondary Urban Centers on the East Coast include
the Mercedes International Airport Area (Brgy.
Mercedes having an area of about 1,288.56 has.)
And the Sangali Port Area (Brgy. Sangali
with about 1,259.32 has.). The Mercedes Area (Map
29, Volume 3), a mere 13 km. and 30 minute drive
from the City Proper, shall host the new Zamboanga
City International Airport as well as the new
Regional and City
Government Center.

The Tertiary Urban Centers, categorized as East
Coast Agri-Industrial Areas, shall consist of
the eastern trading posts: Barangays Curuan and
Vitali. Curuan (Map 31, Volume 3), the entire
point to Zamboanga del Norte, has a total land
area of 7,216 has. and is 47 km. (1,5 hour drive)
from the City Proper. Its present population is
about 6,145 and is projected to reach 9,214 by the
year 2012. Vitali (Map 32, Volume 3), on the other
hand, is the entry point to Zamboanga del Sur. It
has a land area of about 5, 409 has and is 73 km.
(2.5 hour drive) from the City Proper. Its present
population is 9, 462 and Is projected to reach
14,188 by the year 2012.both tertiary centers
shall be made to host
small agri-based industrial zones.

The Agricultural
Development Area covers 42 barangays consisting of
approximately 35,286 has. Aside from
agricultural production (crop and tree), uses
allowed in this area are of the extremely low
intensity kind, including agri-residential
communities with rural schools, churches, health
centers, etc.

These consist mostly
of watershed and steeply-sloped areas (above 50%
slope) covering about 83, 187.60 has. including 19
barangays. This is a zone of zero density uses be
devoted to forestry and watershed conservation
uses. Extremely low-density uses may be
allowed such as eco-tourism areas. No new forest
communities shall be authorized to develop in the
area.

These areas include
the islands and the swamps in the East Coast (Vitali
Island). Marine-Based Protected Area cover about
13,778.18 has. including eight (8) barangays. Due
to their high environmental value, these shall
also be protected and shall, ideally be
zones of zero density. Eco-tourism activities may
be allowed however, but no new community
settlements shall be authorized to develop. Major
projects in these areas include the development of
the Sta. Cruz and Eleven Islands into Eco-Tourism
centers.